Contact

SUPPORTCHLY (FM 101.7) Independent Radio. Call 250 740 1017 or 250 716 3410 to make a donation or become a member. http://chly.ca/

OCTOBER 20, 2018 - ELECT GORDON FULLER to Council

Born in 1958, 6' tall, long greying hair. KIDDING Folks. The aforementioned is true but perhaps something more descriptive is appropriate. A resident of Nanaimo since 1981, and a third generation Nanaimoite, I have been an outspoken community and social activist in Nanaimo for over two decades working with a number of different groups and organizations (SEE PAGE ‘ABOUT ME’) over the years. This experience, as well as that of life in general, gives me the knowledge and understanding of our community that I believe is necessary for any elected official. I believe strongly in a persons right to freedom of speech provided they do not intentionally set out to hurt in doing so. I intensely dislike closed mindedness and racism and belive that everyone, no matter their current situation, has the potential to benefit society.
SPEAK OUT & SPEAK LOUD, above all NO BULLSHIT!

Saturday, November 22, 2014

At the bottom of this post is a copy of a complaint
filed by Dominic Jones with:

-----

Keith Archer, Ph.D.

Chief Electoral Officer

PO Box 9275 Stn Prov Govt

Victoria BC V8W 9J6

“By Email

Dear Sir:

Pursuant
to Section 75 of the Local Elections
Campaign Financing Act, I respectfully ask that you conduct a formal
investigation into the unlawful actions on general voting day by Mrs. Diane
Brennan, candidate in the 2014 Nanaimo municipal election.”

------------

Many others are also sending letters to the Chief Electoral
Officer. It is important to understand that Diane Brennan is a sitting Councillor and was re-elected by a slim majority over another Councillor.

For me the most blatant and shameful act on Ms. Brennan’s
part was her use of Twitter while at the 7-10 Club Community Meal program. This was, in my opinion, a blatant post to
garner votes.

For one thing Ms Brennan has seldom volunteered at the 7-10
Club, only a couple of occasions that I am aware of, and she didn’t even get the
name of the group hosting this particular breakfast right. It was not the John Howard Society but a
group of Vancouver University Students from different Countries; providing an
international Breakfast of German, Asian and Mexican cuisine.

What will be the outcome of this complaint, I do not know
but that a formal complaint and letters from others is a sign of our democratic
process and I encourage folk to speak out and loud when they become aware of an
abuse of that process.

“Even if we ignore the allegations I made to Elections BC, by
Mrs. Diane Brennan's own account to the Nanaimo Daily News she broke the rules.
However, she's taking no responsibility for her actions, and doesn't see them
as being unfair to the other candidates who she narrowly beat.

This is like an athlete refusing to give up a gold medal after
admitting to taking a performance enhancing drug. She didn't read the label,
and because no race officials stopped her on the
track, she should get to keep the award she won by just 0.08 seconds. Too bad
for the other contestants.

The right thing is for Mrs. Brennan to
give up any claim to the seat before the Dec. 1 swearing in. Let's run her race
again in a fair by-election so that the new council can move on.

If she did that, I would withdraw my complaint.”

Draft letter by Tim Mcgrath that anyone can copy and paste for
their own complaint:

As
a result of activity concerning Diane Brennan on Election Day, I have written
ELECTIONS BC. I RECOMMEND everyone do the same. People are welcome to copy
mine, alter it with your own comments and send it in.

Pursuant to Section 75 of
the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, I respectfully request a formal
investigation into the unlawful actions on general voting day by Mrs. Diane
Brennan, candidate in the 2014 Nanaimo municipal election.

Of the eight candidates
declared elected, Mrs. Brennan received the lowest number of votes. She was
elected by a margin of 100 votes more than the candidate with the next highest
number of votes. She received 4.73% of the total vote compared to the next
candidate with 4.65% -- a difference of only 0.08 percentage points.

It is my belief, that her
deliberate unlawful actions in the election, gave her an unfair advantage.
Without the advantage Mrs. Brennan would have failed to secure sufficient votes
to be elected on November 15, 2014.

As we have seen at the
Federal Level, when the integrity of our democracy is at risk, severe
punishment is appropriate. The unlawful advertising was deliberate, campaign
oriented, calculated to reach electors at the most opportune times at voting
places, and conducted with demonstrable contempt for the rules.

-----

Complaint:

Dominic Jones

6529 Groveland Drive

Nanaimo, V9V 1P7

250-933-5437

November 18, 2014

Keith Archer, Ph.D.

Chief Electoral Officer

PO Box 9275 Stn Prov Govt

Victoria BC V8W 9J6

By Email

Dear Sir:

Pursuant to Section 75 of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, I

respectfully ask that you conduct a formal investigation into the unlawful actions

on general voting day by Mrs. Diane Brennan, candidate in the 2014 Nanaimo

municipal election.

Of the eight candidates declared elected, Mrs. Brennan received the lowest

number of votes. She was elected by a margin of 100 votes more than the

candidate with the next highest number of votes. She received 4.73% of the total

vote compared to the next candidate with 4.65% -- a difference of only 0.08

percentage points.

It is my steadfast belief, based on the evidence in the report attached to this

letter, that without her deliberate unlawful actions in the election, Mrs. Brennan

would have failed to secure sufficient votes to be elected on November 15, 2014.

I estimate that Mrs. Brennan’s unlawful advertising on Twitter and Facebook

had a total measurable potential reach of 4,304 people. This number is

overwhelmingly material to the election result considering the slim margin by

which she secured election.

The unlawful advertising was deliberate, campaign oriented, calculated to reach

electors at the most opportune times at voting places1, and conducted with

demonstrable contempt for the rules.

1 Since most social media communications are accessed on mobile devices, the unlawful campaign

advertising would have reached many electors while they were either heading to or in voting

places.

The evidence shows that Mrs. Brennan demonstrated a pattern of contemptuous

disregard for the Province’s election rules by repeatedly ignoring them. I show

that Mrs. Brennan not only ignored several public cautions from electors on Nov.

15, but she continued her unlawful actions even after Elections BC

contacted her directly.

While I have been made aware that Elections BC is satisfied that Mrs. Brennan’s

removal of her Twitter posts (not the Facebook posts) remedied those particular

irregularities, I respectfully submit to you that any determination to that effect on

the afternoon of Nov. 15 was premature without considering the potential

materiality of the unlawful advertising on the final voting results. Additionally, I

provide evidence to show that removal of the Twitter posts was an

insufficient remedy given that the damage had already been done by the time

the removals took place.

In any event, I respectfully submit that individual instances of unlawful

advertising should not be viewed in isolation. The Twitter campaign advertising

should be viewed in conjunction with the Facebook advertising (and any other

unlawful activities) in determining materiality to warrant an investigation.

Based on the evidence submitted herewith, I contend that Mrs. Diane Brennan

was elected by cheating in a calculated, deliberate manner that demonstrated

insubordination and contempt for elections laws and the authority of Elections

BC. These actions subverted the democratic process by unfairly tipping the scales

in her favor.

While I am submitting evidence only of unlawful campaigning on general voting

day, I don’t wish to limit the scope of any investigation that you may deem

necessary in light of Mrs. Brennan’s non-compliance with the rules and evident

contempt for Elections BC directives.

Given the very public nature of Mrs. Brennan’s actions, I believe that it is

imperative for you to thoroughly investigate this matter so that the Nanaimo

electorate can have confidence in the fairness of the electoral process, knowing

that the rules will be enforced and that no one is above them.

I am an elector in the municipality of Nanaimo. I am registered on the voters roll

and voted in the election. I was not a member of any campaign in the election. I

am self-employed as an Internet consultant and have experience with the

technologies relevant to this complaint. Prior to this I was a journalist and author

for more than 10 years. I make this complaint in good faith driven by a

journalistic moral compass.

Yours truly,

Evidence of Election Irregularities by Diane

Brennan:

This report compiles evidence drawn from several public Internet sources and

includes some evidence that Mrs. Diane Brennan has since caused to be removed

from the Internet. For verification purposes, I can make the original screenshots

available to Elections BC upon request.

While every effort was made to document all instances of unlawful Internet

advertising by Mrs. Brennan’s campaign on Nov. 15, 2014, there may be

additional unlawful advertising or other actions that I am not aware of.

The report is divided into 4 sections:

1) A chronology of the unlawful advertising supported by screenshots

showing electronic timestamps;

2) An analysis of the audience reach of the unlawful advertising;

3) An analysis of the campaign-oriented nature of Mrs. Brennan’s social

Thursday, November 13, 2014

In
choosing Council Mayor and School Trustees I encourage folk to dig deeper than
just looking at the propaganda we as candidates put out.

-----------

Many see sitting on council as a position of power; I see it as a position of trust, trust that I would work towards the betterment of the ENTIRE community. I have proven through community involvement that I do not just ‘talk the talk’ but ‘walk the walk’ as well.BIO

A third
generation Nanaimoite, 33 year resident of Nanaimo, I am a long time Community
and Social Advocate. I believe every Citizen capable of contributing to making
the City of Nanaimo a better place.

Employed in the Social Service Sector
with adults and youth for almost 20 years I also have considerable experience
working with boards and committees on issues ranging from Homelessness &
Affordable Housing, Food Security & Poverty, to Neighbourhood &
Community Planning and Downtown Revitalization.

I have also been involved at workshops and giving
feedback on numerous of Nanaimo’s City plans ie. Transportation Master Plan,
South Nanaimo Waterfront Plan, Zoning Bylaw, Official Community Plan, Strategic
Plan etc. etc.

A regular attendee at Council
meetings, for over a decade, I have appeared as a delegation to advocate on a
wide range of issues. Asked if I think I can accomplish as much as a City
Councillor as in my current advocacy role; I see this as a higher level to work
towards building a better community for ALL.

When
elected I will bring a new level of Experience, Trust, Openness, Inclusiveness
and Common Sense to the position.

PLATFORM Type Thingy:

- Experience

- Inclusion

- Trust

- Accountability

I believe every Citizen capable of contributing to making the City of Nanaimo a better place.

A long time Social and Community Advocate I
know it is critical to recognize the importance of a healthy diverse economy in
providing meaningful employment and the necessary tax base from which to run
our fair city. We need a strong advocate on council who understands the issues
in all areas of the city.

We need to focus on the preservation of
Nanaimo’s heritage and Parks; development that works in harmony with the waterfront
and mountain vistas, maintaining the unique character of neighbourhoods and the
community, Citizen Driven and Not Developer Driven. Smart Growth not rapid
growth should determine Nanaimo’s future.

We need to implement sustainable small-scale
social programs throughout Nanaimo that move away from the institutional and
towards community integration. We must work towards Social Equality. It is imperative that we, as a community,
recognize and value diversity and the potential of ALL citizens in contributing
to make Nanaimo a vibrant and inclusive community.

Much of what I have done over the
years has been towards encouraging involvement in the municipal process; sadly
participatory democracy, despite being a tenet of Nanaimo’s Strategic Plan, is
at threat in the current Governance Revue.

I want to ensure Participatory Democracy
remains a priority, and in fact increase avenues for such through regularly
scheduled Town Hall meetings throughout the community. Rather than eliminating
polling stations I want to see more so as to increase voter participation.

I will also push to have not just Council
meetings videotaped but all committee meetings. Realign the power structure at
City Hall.

Your council needs to recognize that social,
environmental, cultural and economic aspects are intertwined; linking the
community together. A focus on one without the others detracts from the whole.

I encourage citizens to vote in the upcoming
election and in saying so also encourage they research the candidates as well.